My Angel
by Bella'sBrain
Summary: It was 1937 and the Cullens moved to Forks for the first time, with their new addition (Emmett) in tow. He and Rosalie were clearly connected, but Emmett finally asks her what happened in her past to hurt her so much. Just a short, fluffy moment between them where Rosalie learns to trust someone again. (Rated T for mention of rape)


A/N: I have always loved the relationship between Rosalie & Emmett, so I wanted to try my hand at a special moment between them. I would really love your feedback!

(Disclaimer: All content belongs to Stephenie Meyer.)

My Angel

Rosalie felt his presence close behind her, but said nothing as he approached. Her gaze was fixed out the window, watching a red robin perched on a nearby branch. It fluttered its wings slowly, almost testing its strength and began ascending into the sky. She ached momentarily to be able to fly away from this eternal existence.

_Damnation_. Her thoughts turned bitter as she contemplated it. She didn't view that status in the authentic way Edward did, though she knew being frozen until the end of time was its own twisted brand of hell. Her human memories were fleeting beyond the horrific ones and she longed to feel truly alive again, resigned to the fact that it was an impossibility.

She could practically feel him in the space behind her, their small distance seemingly charged with electricity. She feared she would never regain the ability to feel attraction like she felt for him, but there it was- inherent, all encompassing, and irrevocable. When his hand lightly grasped her elbow, she simply leaned back into his massive chest silently. She couldn't describe the sense of fullness in her heart when she was around Emmett. She had quit analyzing her incessant allure to him and just relished in it, allowing him to progressively heal her festering wounds.

She never spoke to him about her past, but he _knew_. He knew in the way he brushed the strands of hair from her face with such tenderness. He knew in the way he held her wordlessly for hours, content to simply exist in her orbit. He knew that, despite her steel exterior, her heart was fragile and he shouldered its weight as a privilege, desperate to ease her pain.

"Rose," his voice was rough with stress and she tensed in his arms. He seldom expressed anything other than light-hearted, carefree sentiments but she knew there were deeper ones brewing under the surface as of late.

He swallowed unnecessarily. "I can pick up a car with my bare hands and rip any living thing to pieces." There was a deep rumble in his chest and she sighed peacefully at the sound, "Hell, I can even fight off my own grizzlies now."

"But I'm not strong enough to take away your pain and it _kills_ me," his head fell against her shoulder in defeat. Her chest clenched painfully at his words and she turned in his embrace, lifting his head gently in her hands to focus her golden eyes on his.

"You are, Em. You are. You have no idea." she murmured like a plea, squeezing her eyes shut at the intensity of the love overwhelming her. He leaned down and gently kissed her, warmed to the core at her sincerity. His mouth was delicate against hers, but adamant in conveying his devotion.

She pulled away after a moment, "I don't want you to feel responsible for my… pain. You can't because I'm not sure if it will ever- if I will ever-" She cut off as her voice broke and he held her firmly as her tremors subsided.

"Rose," he gathered his courage, cradling her protectively and wanting to destroy whatever vile creature had hurt his angel. "Will you tell me what happened?"

She paused for a minute, before nodding slowly into his shirt. She took his hand in hers and led him toward the living room couch. He sat obediently and she joined him, bending her knees to lay over his lap. His hand wound instinctively around her back and she rested her head against his shoulder. He waited patiently for her to begin, rubbing soothing patterns into her spine with his fingers.

"Well, you know I was engaged to someone before I turned." He nodded in confirmation, suppressing the pang of jealousy in his gut.

"Royce was the most eligible bachelor in town and I was certainly beautiful, but everyone was still floored that he chose me." He could hear the disbelief in her voice and wanted to laugh but resisted interrupting. _What man wouldn't want you?_

"I was young and naive and we were engaged, so everything was new and exciting." Her tone was slowly sinking and Emmett was growing more anxious about the upcoming demise.

"I left my friend Vera's house late that night and I ran into them all drinking on a street corner." Her voice never wavered, but he felt the shudder run through her and he was quickly becoming nauseous at where this would lead.

"They started flirting with me, Royce too, which he never did in public and I knew I should leave so I - I tried to but he grabbed me…" Emmett unconsciously tightened his arms around his angel, wanting helplessly to save her from what had already transpired. She took a moment to compose herself and kissed his shoulder gingerly, noting his angry, panting breaths.

"Em, I can- I can stop if you need." He immediately shook his head and kissed her forehead in encouragement. He knew this wasn't about him; this was what Rosalie needed.

She inhaled deeply and spoke the words to him she had never said aloud to anyone, "They took turns raping me for a long time- it felt like hours. And _after_," she winced at the vivid memory of what followed. "They just kept hitting and kicking me until they thought I was dead." Emmett flinched at the word, but didn't stop her. He knew if she was ever hurt again or really died that his life would cease to matter because his reason for existence would be gone. He looked almost lost staring back at her and she had never seen him appear younger.

She stared at their intertwined hands blankly and recalled the rest. "I thought I was dead too. I just stared at the sky, not able to move or breathe or think until Carlisle found me."

He guided her eyes back to his by gently cupping her chin and lifting it, kissing her cheek with an expression she couldn't interpret. She shrugged slightly, "After I woke up, I just existed. Nothing mattered to me anymore until - until _you_." The familiar beautiful light returned to Rosalie's eyes when she mentioned him and it made his heart swell.

He just gazed in adoration at her for awhile, wanting to sort through his thoughts and do this right. His fingers slid to wrap around her cheeks and he kissed every inch of her face, twice. "Thank you, Rose, for trusting me" he breathed out, before kissing her mouth as softly as he could manage.

"I need to say something to you, Rose. But you know I'm not always very articulate, so try to be patient with me." She nodded automatically, absolutely mesmerized by his touch, his kisses, and the way he said her name like a caress. He said nothing for a significant period of time, but she couldn't care less. She would sit there in his embrace while the world burned down around them if he asked.

"Rose, I literally can't _fathom_ how someone as precious as you could be hurt that way." She let the words melt beautifully into her soul and became enthralled by the next ones he spoke.

"I know I'm not anywhere _near_ good enough for you," he ignored how she squeezed his waist and made a noise of dissent. "But you deserve to be loved every minute of every hour of every day and I want to spend the rest of my existence showing you how you deserve to be loved and cherished and honored and protected."

She was grateful that she didn't need air to survive, because she literally could not breathe as he pulled her to a standing position and dropped to one knee. She looked down at his expression of pure adoration and something stirred in her that she thought died the day she did. Not when she became a vampire, but prior with Royce. She believed her took a piece of her being that day and Emmett was finally returning it; she was whole. "Rosalie Hale, will you marry me?"

She was nodding and saying "yes" repeatedly before the question finished rolling off his tongue and he beamed, cradling her in his arms and flopping back down on the couch. His first kisses were slow and gentle, not wanting to push her. But they quickly grew heated and frantic as Rose met his mouth with fierce enthusiasm.

The only thing that could pull her away in that moment was the sound of her approaching family a few miles away. She gasped into his mouth, elated, and he was struck by how utterly enchanting she was. An angel. _My Angel. _

He kissed her temple tenderly as she tried to calm her breathing in anticipation of their arrival. He wondered briefly if Edward had already told them, but dismissed the thought, knowing he wouldn't ruin that for Rose. When Edward, Carlisle, and Esme came through the front door, they noted the intimate position Rosalie and Emmett were in with varying reactions. Edward had a knowing smile on his face, happy for his sister. Carlisle was cautiously optimistic that his daughter was finally beginning to heal from her human scars and felt moderately absolved of the guilt he assumed in turning Emmett. Esme just stared at the pair with maternal affection and unmitigated joy.

Rosalie pecked Emmett's cheek a final time before shooting into Esme's eager arms and crowing with unabashed excitement, "We're engaged!" Emmett grinned proudly, knowing he caused her happiness. Carlisle watched Rosalie truly smile for the first time since he had known her as she squealed in his wife's embrace. He would have to sit down with Emmett in the days ahead and appropriately express the depths of his gratitude to him for restoring the life in his daughter's eyes.


End file.
